Flying to Windsor last night, I sat beside one of Magna’s division President’s who was just returning from a press conference announcing the company’s foray into the purchase of GM’s Opel brand. A longtime Magna employee, I asked him the question I like to ask seasoned senior execs which is: “what’s something someone told you early on in your management career that still holds true to you today.”
Consider this as the first in a series of “roving reporter” installments on my findings.
So… what did this head honcho with global leadership responsibilities have to say?
“Treat people as you would like to be treated.”
I can hear the guffaws out there as I type. What? Treat people as you would like to be treated is the “one thing” that this exec still draws back to? In his own words “this might sound a little hokey…”
Well, actually, I don’t think it’s hokey at all. Sometimes, as leaders, we can find innumerable was of over complicating things. Sometimes, simple principles are the best principles.
There are probably countless situations that could benefit from leaders pulling back and asking themselves “how would I like my boss to approach me about this situation?” before heading into things with full guns blazing.
Are you treating your employees and coworkers (and even your boss) the way you’d like to be treated? Try it today and see what happens.
Happy leading!
